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Hong Kong and the food

Me trying to figure out a menu in Hong Kong wet market

At the Hong Kong peak

Me in Hong kong food market. Just to show the vibe of the market!

After our Thailand trip we have come to visit Hong Kong for a week. Beautiful place. I am impressed by everything! Not so won over by food though.
Hong Kong is so huge and cosmopolitan that you can find fine dishes from different cuisines (i.e. Thai, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, the list is endless). However, I tried the regional food, street food, a cheap cafe that local working men and women go after work. The atmosphere, the buzz in this type of cafes is enough to keep you happy. However, as for the real Chinese food, don’t expect anything from your local take away menu. For example Hong Kong-ians like many other orientals like alternative cuts of meat. Let’s say if you order a chicken dish, it’s very unlikely that you get a chicken breast.In fact during my two trips in last 10 days I have not come across a chicken breast. Mainly you get wings and legs. Also they seem to chop their meat slightly different to other places. For example a chicken leg is not cut from the joint, it has been chopped into cubes on the actual leg bones. So You might struggle to figure out what part of the animal you are actually eating. The chicken skin (not crispy) and chicken feet seem to have their special place for the locals.
In terms of flavours, sweet ( sweetened with honey) and mild BBQ flavours are dominant. Meat-wise pork and chicken are favourites. I haven’t seen any lamb on any menu yet.As for vegetarian dishes…fried, hard boiled or cured eggs are the main meat substitute. You can also find fish in every menu. Seafood in general, and when it comes to seafood please broaden your usual categorisation and include animals like terrapins.

Terrapin saved from the menu by our friends. They have named him Leonardo after the mutant ninja